On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, an arena that just about everyone looks forward to playing and performing in.
One of the players who has been as hyped as anyone in NBA history to put forth a premier performance in Manhattan is LeBron James, and like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, he has had his share of memorable games there.
James sat out L.A.’s 121-104 loss on Monday at the Brooklyn Nets with left foot soreness, but if he is feeling even remotely well enough to play, one should expect him to suit up and play.
Take a look back at arguably the four greatest games James has had at the Garden.
March 3, 2013
During the 2012-13 season, the Knicks were a very solid team, winning 54 games, and it was the last time to date they won a playoff series.
Late in the season, James paid them a visit, which meant he would go head-to-head with Carmelo Anthony, who was then New York’s franchise player.
Anthony put up 32 points, but James did him one better with 29 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and several highlight dunks as his Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 99-93 victory.
Dec. 17, 2010
In James’ first season with the Heat, he was perhaps the most hated athlete in America, and his only option was to silence his critics by not only playing well but also leading his new team to many wins.
Early in the season, Miami visited the Knicks, and the fans at the Garden jeered James, perhaps because he decided not to join their team in free agency that summer.
But he silenced them by going for 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Heat won easily, 113-91.
Nov. 6, 2009
A year earlier, everyone was awaiting James’ impending free agency and whether he would stick with the Cleveland Cavaliers or decide to go elsewhere.
In early November, he gave New Yorkers a glimpse of what they thought could be in the near future of their beloved Knicks.
James scored 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, dished off nine assists and came up with three steals as the Cavs earned a 100-91 win.
Feb. 4, 2009
But many would agree that James’ greatest game at what New Yorkers love to call “the world’s most famous arena” came during the 2008-09 campaign.
With the Cavs jockeying for the NBA’s best record and a second trip to the NBA Finals in three years, he lit up the Garden by erupting for 52 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and two blocked shots in a 107-102 victory.
Back then, the big debate was whether James or late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was the best player in the world. Bryant had just scored 61 points two days earlier, setting a Garden record for most points by a visiting player, so perhaps James was trying to one-up the Black Mamba.
